If: three different "ifs" and three different answers
Condition in Greek is built in three ways, and what chooses between them is not the time but how true it is. For example: “Αν χαλάσει το πλυντήριο, θα καλέσω τεχνικό” — If the washing machine breaks, I'll call a technician. A rule from the Greek course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
Condition in Greek is built in three ways, and what chooses between them is not the time but how true it is.
The first — quite possible. αν (an) plus the ordinary form, and θα (tha) in the main clause: Αν χαλάσει το πλυντήριο (an khalási to plindírio), θα καλέσω τεχνικό (tha kaléso tekhnikó). Note that after αν a future meaning takes the form without θα — as after να (na). "Αν θα χαλάσει (an tha khalási)" is the classic slip, because English would put its "will" there.
The second — not true right now. αν plus the imperfect, in the main clause θα plus the imperfect: Αν είχα χρόνο (an íkha khróno), θα το έφτιαχνα μόνος μου (tha to éftiakhna mónos mu) — if I had the time, I would fix it myself. The time is not there, and both halves admit it.
The third — already beyond repair. αν plus είχα (íkha) with the unchanging form, in the main clause θα είχα (tha íkha): Αν είχα κρατήσει την απόδειξη (an íkha kratísi tin apódiksi), θα είχα κάνει επιστροφή (tha íkha káni epistrofí) — had I kept the receipt, I would have returned it. I did not, and there will be no return.
English walks this same ladder — "if it breaks / if I had / if I had kept" — so the meanings come easily; the only hard part is keeping θα out of the αν- (an)clause.
Nearby live εκτός αν (unless) and σε περίπτωση που (in the event that) — both behave like the first αν.
Table
| the case | after αν | in the main clause |
|---|---|---|
| may well happen | the ordinary form, no θα | θα + the form |
| not so right now | the imperfect | θα + the imperfect |
| already beyond repair | είχα + the form | θα είχα + the form |
By example
- Αν χαλάσει το πλυντήριο, θα καλέσω τεχνικόan khalási to plindírio, tha kaléso tekhnikóIf the washing machine breaks, I'll call a technician
- Αν είχα χρόνο, θα το έφτιαχνα μόνος μουan íkha khróno, tha to éftiakhna mónos muIf I had the time, I would fix it myself
- Αν είχα κρατήσει την απόδειξη, θα είχα κάνει επιστροφήan íkha kratísi tin apódiksi, tha íkha káni epistrofíHad I kept the receipt, I would have made a return
How the rule settles in your head
A rule is not memorized from an explanation. It is memorized from an attempt to use it and a mistake — that is why the app delivers it mixed in with words, not as a separate lesson: it resurfaces exactly where you forgot it.
Frequently asked
Why αν θα is impossible in Greek?
Condition in Greek is built in three ways, and what chooses between them is not the time but how true it is.
Three Greek ifs and which to use?
The first — quite possible. αν plus the ordinary form, and θα in the main clause: Αν χαλάσει το πλυντήριο, θα καλέσω τεχνικό. Note that after αν a future meaning takes the form without θα — as after να. "Αν θα χαλάσει" is the classic slip, because English would put its "will" there.
How to say if I had time in Greek?
The second — not true right now. αν plus the imperfect, in the main clause θα plus the imperfect: Αν είχα χρόνο, θα το έφτιαχνα μόνος μου — if I had the time, I would fix it myself. The time is not there, and both halves admit it.
What does it look like in an example sentence Greek?
“Αν χαλάσει το πλυντήριο, θα καλέσω τεχνικό” (an khalási to plindírio, tha kaléso tekhnikó) — If the washing machine breaks, I'll call a technician. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.